I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to waste drain pipes such as the types used with sinks, other plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems, and more particularly to sections of plumbing pipes which are designed to separate solids and other foreign bodies from the waste liquids flowing through the pipes.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes many patent and other references which disclose plumbing devices of the type utilized for operably connecting sinks, washbasins and other such plumbing fixtures so as to prevent the flow of solid matter into the drainage system. Several of these devices are specifically designed to catch valuable items such as rings, contact lenses and so forth, which are frequently lost into the drainage system.
The prior art contains many forms of plumbing traps which employ removable strainers. The following patents are samples of those prior art references: U.S. Pat. Nos. 594,169; 3,466,901; 1,198,759; 1,903,366; 1,217,763; 2,693,734; 1,770,639; 3,747,771; 1,817,376; 3,788,485; 1,886,676; 4,032,455.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,901 issued to Reid discloses a generally T-shaped plumbing section which is used in conjunction with a pump in a laundry-type device. It should be noted that the Reid device does not include an access aperture which allows the operator to inspect and clean the partial strainer which is enclosed within the plumbing section. Furthermore, the Reid strainer does not effectively separate all of the solids from the fluids flowing adjacent thereto.
While many of these prior art devices are effective for their original design, they are nevertheless expensive to produce and are not directly applicable to modern plumbing fixtures and designs. These disadvantages are especially pronounced when cleaning the strainer is required. It is typically very difficult for the operator to obtain direct access to the strainer in order to remove hair, grease or other solids which foul the strainer, and in order to retrieve valuables such as rings or contact lenses from the strainer when lost into the drainage system.
The present invention is primarily designed in order to be inexpensively produced by plastic injection molding techniques. More specifically, it is envisioned that with many of the embodiments disclosed herein the strainer or screen may be integrally molded into the device in order to reduce costs and minimize assembly expenses.